'That's what you do when there's a tragedy': Iowa farmers help harvest neighbor's final crop

About 20 Iowa farmers hit the fields Friday to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop.
Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last acres of soybeans.
Rodney White and Brian Powers, Des Moines Register

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About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River.(Photo: Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register)Buy Photo

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About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Rodney White, Brian Powers/The Register

About a half dozen eastern Iowa farmers hit the fields on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Deep River to harvest Kenny Keller's last crop. Keller, 78, died unexpectedly Thursday, a few days short of bringing in his last 300-400 acres of soybeans near Deep River. Brian Powers/The Register

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Shown in 1937 on the bank of the main irrigation ditch on Fred Shaw's farm near Elliott are Elmer and Carl Carlson, Peter Hansen and C.F. Carlson. For more photos from the Register’s archives, subscribe here: http://bit.ly/2KZwECu Register file photo

A bull belonging to Tipton-area farmer E.C. Mitchell is branded by Dr. P.A. Weires of West Union in 1931 to show that it is infected with bovine tuberculosis. Mitchell is shown in the jacket holding the rope. Register file photo

In July 1938, for the first time in Mahaska County no horses and only four men were required on a threshing job at a Truax farm owned by Horatio Davis. A shock sweep, one of few owned in Iowa, did the work of seven men. Paul Davis is operating the tractor. Register file photo

Temporary corn cribs like these 8 miles west of Des Moines on Highway 6 were used to hold surplus crops after an unexpected bumper crop in 1939. Hybrid seed, crop rotation, mechanization and favorable weather were factors in that year's above-average yields. Register file photo

Ruth Wisecup of Madrid watches threshing machines work on the W.J. Nutt farm, located 8 miles northwest of Madrid, in July 1939. It was reported that more than 165 million bushels of grain, valued at farm prices at $40 million, had been threshed by that point of the year. For more historical Iowa photos, subscribe to the Register here: http://bit.ly/2KZwECu Register file photo

A wheat field on R.H. Lee Edwards' farm near Riverton in Fremont County is shown after it was covered with silt from flooding of the Nishnabotna River in 1939. Edwards received the first payout under the government wheat crop insurance plan when state supervisor Jess Alton handed over a check for $95.23, which covered loss of 17.5 acres of winter wheat. Register file photo

F.W. Barquist is shown tilting a thumb toward a prospect at the Adel sales barn, which did about $500,000 worth of sales in 1940. Above him is an electric sign that blinks to indicate whether sales are by head or by weight, vaccinated or not. Register file photo

Reports said 1943 was an especially active year for farm auctions thanks to many farmers retiring and others entering military service. Lunch was served all day by women of the Callender community during a sale on the Ralph M. Fogleman farm in Webster County. Georgia Hoagland is shown serving coffee to Norman Miller of Farnhamville. Register file photo

Atop an open crib holding 2,500 bushels of corn, Charles Bloomquist, 73, holds the trough and guides corn coming up from the conveyor in 1944. He was filling the crib for his son Arvid Bloomquist, who lived south of Boxholm. Register file photo

Frank McArthur, on the planter at left, and tractor operator Harry McKee stop for a chat as they near the finish in planting 750 acres of corn on McArthur's farm near Oakland in 1944. Register file photo

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Stamer throw the switch to make their 160-acre farm near Granville the 1,000th farm electrified by the O'Brien County Rural Electric cooperative in 1944. Sons Vern (right), 20, and John, 14, are shown, while another son Clarence, 18, was away in the armed services. Register file photo

Henry Weyrauch and his wife, identified only as Mrs. Weyrauch, care for the 13 dairy cows, three heifers and two steers they kept on 40 acres they rented near Eldora in 1945. Mrs. Weyrauch called this pen the family's "summer barn." Register file photo

Designed by Pfister Associated Growers Inc., this machine was designed for experimenting with the use of DDT dust against the European corn borer. An unidentified Pfister employee is dusting one of the company's corn fields near Monroe. Register file photo

Grasshoppers caused severe damage to corn and soybean crops across Iowa in 1949. Polk County farmer C.J. Trawver examines damage in his corn field north of Des Moines after grasshoppers moved in from a newly harvested alfalfa field. Chlordane or toxaphene, both of which are now banned, were applied at 1 1/2 pounds per acre to control the pests. Register file photo

One day after a cow kicked Leland Harvey in the spring of 1950 and broke the Polk City farmer's leg, neighbors showed up with 22 tractor-drawn plows and finished Harvey's plowing and planting. Register file photo

Ralph Peterson, who farms 320 acres near Mediapolis, is shown combining a 16-acre field of oats in 1962. He said the field would yield no better than 75 bushels per acre a year after the same field produced 105 bushels per acre. Register file photo

This 1964 photo shows the progress made in tractors between 1913, when the Hart-Parr "60" (left) was made and 1964, when the Oliver 1600 was built. Both machines have about 60 horsepower, but the Hart-Parr weighs nearly 10 tons and the Oliver is under 4 tons. Register file photo

William Burkhart drives a tractor through his bean field near Woodward in 1974. The contraption with it, mounted on a manure loader, allows six weeders to work as the tractor moves at about 5 miles per hour. Weeders from left, Jeff Burkhart, Neil Grow, Lester Grow, Randy Burkhart, Dale Burkhart and Doug Burkhart. Register file photo

The last windrows of hay being picked up in 1974 on a farm east of Decorah. "There's one good thing about this hot dry weather," a farmer told The Register that year. "Almost everybody is getting his hay put up without getting it wet." Register file photo

George Johnson runs a combine through his father's soybean field near Coon Rapids, where yields in 1977 were "not too good" because of the weather. How much does it cost an hour to run that combine? "I don't know," answered Johnson's father, Ernest. "And I don't want to know because I'm sure it would scare the heck out of me." Register file photo

Don Hawxby of Melcher, left, and Dennis Jordan of Winterset, both employees of M&W Farm Service of Indianola, assemble a grain bin on the Phil Davitt farm south of Martensdale in 1977. Register file photo

John Bartholomew walks along an aluminum irrigation pipe in June 1977 on the Warren County sod farm he owns with Hugh Eggers. They were told that month they could no longer legally pump water from Middle Creek to irrigate their farm. "The thing that amazes me is you drive through town and see people out watering their lawns and washing their cars, and here I am trying to make a living and I can't even sprinkle," Bartholomew said. Register file photo

Farmers listen quietly as farm strike leaders outline a plan -- grain speculation -- that would allow them to make money by not planting. The 1978 meeting in the Wiota gymnasium attracted about 200 area farmers. Register file photo

The view from inside the cab of a "Smart Tractor" at an Iowa State University exhibit in Linn County in 1983. The John Deere 4430 featured sensing devices and a computer. In front of the steering wheel are a cassette tape memory storage device and a microprocessor at right. Register file photo

Marion Kingrey of rural Monroe had to tunnel into his haystack -- 30 feet tall and 157 feet around -- in 1984 to extinguish a fire that started when the wet hay inside got warm enough to ignite the dry hay on top. Register file photo

Members of the Iowa Farm Unity Coalition encircle the rotunda of the Iowa Capitol with dozens of posters advertising sales of Iowa farms in 1984. Representatives of the coalition met with Gov. Terry Branstad, who told them his own farming operations, which he shares with his brother, are under financial stress, too. Register file photo

About 25 farmers formed a soup line outside the Marriott Hotel in downtown Des Moines in 1985 to protest a "lavish" prime rib dinner for news organizations hosted by the Farm Credit Banks of Omaha, which is foreclosing loans. Iowa Farm Utility Coalition members said lenders are not doing enough to aid the financiallly strapped farmers. Register file photo

Robert Wolcott, 63, of Pioneer plows farmland one more time on his ground southwest of Humboldt in 1986. He planned to retire in part because of farming's harsh economic climate. "I like to work, but I like to get paid for it," he said. Register file photo

More than 200,000 attended the 1987 Farm Progress Show in Polk County. Among the sights: Kinze Manufacturing of Williamsburg stacked these wagons high, causing some concern when blustery winds blew. Register file photo

A combine and a wagon -- looking like "a pair of lumbering dinosaurs" according to the original caption -- creep through a Hamilton County field owned by Richard Stark Jr. during harvest in 1988. Reports said the field would yield no more than 100 bushels to the acre, far less than normal due to poor weather that year. Register file photo

Ears of corn fly from the corn picker Dan Oberbroeckling operates on his farm south of Peosta in 1990. Oberbroeckling said he uses most of the corn to feed the hogs and dairy cows he raises. Register file photo

Gene Bedwell weighs one of the newborn calves born on his New Virginia farm in 1997. The calf weighed 89 pounds, which Bedwell said is pretty average for a newborn. Register file photo Copyright 1997 Des Moines Regist

Darwin Rieck holds some cattle feed that includes gluten, a byproduct of corn milling, on his farm northwest of Blairstown in 1997. A proposed ethanol plant nearby would produce a similar byproduct. Rieck is on the board of directors of Benton and Eastern Iowa Farm Feeders Cooperative. Register file photo Copyright 1997 Des Moines Regist

Chris Cornell, front, and his father, Steve, farm and raise hogs near Ackworth in Warren County. This is in one of their two confinement buildings, each with about 1,000 animals. "You hope and pray when all is said and done that you're still going to be in business," Chris Cornell said in 2004 about proposed regulations. Register file photo

David Brezina, left, watches as Josh Greiner, with Vittetoe Inc., installs an auger for an overhead feeding system in a new hog confinement building south of Traer in 2005. Brezina plans to house 1,200 feeder pigs in the structure. Register file photo

In 2005, Brad Lundell rides in a tractor as he uses a global positioning system to assist him as he sprays a corn field that he farms with his father, Jim. The field is located near Odebolt. The GPS screen is located on the tractor dashboard area directly in front of Lundell. Bill Neibergall/Register file photo

Farmer Dave Whitman looks at the shriveled remains of one of his soybean plants seared by drought on his farm near Grand Mound in Clinton County. "It's like a frying pan out here," he said of the 2005 weather. Christopher Gannon/Register file photo

Soy beans fill the hopper on Jay Davis' combine as he works a field north of Mount Vernon in 2006. Thanks in part to favorable weather, he said harvest has progressed faster than a year ago. "I'm way ahead. I like to be done with beans by Halloween. (This year), I hope I'm done with corn by then." He grows 2,300 acres of corn and soy beans. Register file photo

People check out a soybean field during the 2006 Practical Farmers of Iowa field days at the Griffieon farm near Ankeny. One of the topics was managing soybean aphids. Holly McQueen/Register file photo

Under the watchful eye of his faithful companion, Chester the dog, Ralph Halferty starts up his chain saw in 2006. The two took their John Deere tractor out to clear brush from along a fence row on Halferty's farm near Derby on a sunny day last week, getting ready for spring planting. Register file photo

Jeff Taylor plants corn just a couple miles north of Ames in 2006. Taylor was getting crops planted early because field and weather conditions throughout most of the state have been favorable for planting. The earliest planted crops often give the highest yields. They pollinate before summer's hottest days. Register file photo

In 2006 Robert Lees, owner of Arpeggio Farms, pours soil with worms to sift for the worm castings at his Johnston home where he has his worm farm. He has been a worm farmer for the past 11 years, four in Iowa. The business is doing so well he was planning to move to a new location south of Mingo in Jasper County. Register file photo

Jerry Lindeman, 73, harvests oats Wednesday on his farm in Solon in 2012. The tractor Lindeman used was built in 1953; the harvester was built in 1940. Lindeman owns many vintage machinery and trucks and enjoys using them for smaller tasks such as this. Iowa City Press-Citizen file photo

Earl Hafner talks in 2013 about growing vegetables in the aquaponics greenhouse on his farm near Panora. Hafner is passing his 2,000-acre Early Morning Harvest farm to his 45-year-old son, Jeff. AP file photo

Farmers gather to inspect Deere & Co.'s new equipment at the Farm Progress Show in Boone in 2014. Many are holding back on purchasing new equipment. "New paint? Not with where corn prices are at," said farmer Paul Werner of Williamsburg. Register file photo

Craig Boot pulls a tank of anhydrous ammonia behind his tractor in April 2014 before injecting the chemical into the soil in preparation for spring planting in a cornfield near the Marion-Mahaska county line outside Pella. Register file photo